The Best Cinnamon Apple Crisp Recipe

The Best Cinnamon Apple Crisp Recipe

Old-fashioned apple pie is chock-full of calories, added sugar, and saturated fat. Not so with this healthier spin on the classic holiday treat.
The Best Cinnamon Apple Crisp Recipe
Olga Pink/Shutterstock

There is nothing more American than apple pie! And while this sweet treat may give you all the fall feels, that slice isn’t doing anything to help you meet your nutritional goals.

There are apples in apple pie, but the peels are usually removed, taking with them valuable fiber, vitamins, and minerals. A medium apple with the skin removed has just 2.1 grams (g) of fiber, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), while one with the skin on has 4.37 g, says the USDA. Similarly, when you peel an apple, you stand to lose 41 percent of the vitamin A, 23 percent of the vitamin C, and a whopping 76 percent of the vitamin K per medium apple.

At the same time, the apples are usually mixed with copious amounts of sugar and wrapped in a rich, fatty crust. In a typical serving of this dessert, says the USDA, the crust alone packs 80 calories and 4 g of total fat, with 1.5 of those grams coming from saturated fat. All in all, a typical slice of old-fashioned apple pie has 340 calories, 17 g total fat, 7 g saturated fat, 3 g protein, 43 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, and 18 g sugar, according to the USDA.

Unfortunately, as most registered dietitians would agree, traditional apple pie is a perfect storm of unhealthy ingredients.

Enter the apple crisp, a dessert of baked apples covered in a crumble topping (usually made of oats, sugar, and butter) rather than a flaky pastry crust. Both recipes are traditionally high in sugar and calories, but no longer!

A-Healthier-apple-crisp
Olga Pink/Shutterstock

The Best Cinnamon Apple Crisp Recipe

In this crisp, you’ll find the emphasis is back on the apples and off the added sugar, to satisfy your craving in a healthier way. Granny Smith apples are used to lend a delightful tartness that complements the extra-crispy topping. You never know — your family may not be able to tell the difference from your usual pie!

contains  Tree Nuts
4.3 out of 52 reviews

SERVES

9

CALORIES PER SERVING

191

PREP TIME

10 min

COOK TIME

30 min

TOTAL TIME

40 min

Ingredients

4 Granny Smith apples, skin on, cored and cut into ¼" slices
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp pure maple syrup
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
1 cup old-fashioned oats
½ cup chopped pecans
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
1 pinch ground nutmeg
¼ tsp kosher salt

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease the edges of a 9x9-inch baking dish.

2

In a large mixing bowl, place apple slices, vanilla, maple syrup, cinnamon, and ginger. Lightly toss to evenly coat the apples. Spread the apple mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

3

In a separate bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Stir together. Pour over the apple mixture and gently pat down.

4

Bake until the topping begins to brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving

calories

191

total fat

9g

saturated fat

0.7g

protein

3g

carbohydrates

27g

fiber

5g

sugar

12g

added sugar

4.5g

sodium

33mg

TAGS:

Tree Nuts, Dessert, Heart-Healthy, Family-Friendly, High-Fiber, Low-Sodium, Vegetarian
Reyna-Franco-bio

Reyna Franco, RDN

Medical Reviewer

Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Columbia University.

In her private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, cardiac disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, food allergies, eating disorders, and childhood nutrition. To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices. She applies the tenets of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for her patients.

Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size. She taught sports nutrition to medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, taught life cycle nutrition and nutrition counseling to undergraduate students at LaGuardia Community College, and precepts nutrition students and interns. She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.

She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Member Interest Group. She is also the treasurer and secretary of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, having previously served in many other leadership roles for the organization, including as past president, awards committee chair, and grant committee chair, among others. She is active in the local Greater New York Dietetic Association and Long Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, too.

Kelly Kennedy, RDN, LDN

Author

Kelly Kennedy is a licensed dietitian-nutritionist with over 14 years of experience in digital media. She previously managed and oversaw nutrition content, recipe development, meal planning, and diet and nutrition coaching at Everyday Health. She developed and reviewed various meal plans, books, slideshows, and online tools, and oversaw the creation of more than 500 unique recipes. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a master's degree from the State University of New York College at Oneonta.

Kennedy enjoys anything that takes her outside, from gardening and playing in the yard with her kids to hiking and even feeding her pet chickens.

EDITORIAL SOURCES
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